a bleeding purple utah jazz blog

Game 44 Jazz vs. Pacers: Escape Artists

Due to the Screecher Behind Boler, I have very little recollection of what happened in the first half. She totally took me out of my game.

The Jazz had a 98-94 lead with 30 seconds left, but Gordon Hayward threw the ball away three times in those 30 seconds to essentially send the game into overtime.

What I thought was great, though, was that he didn’t let that affect how he played in overtime. He just soldiered on. And with Big Al Jefferson making four of the Jazz’s six buckets in OT, the Jazz managed to escape with a win after yet another…dunh dunh dunh…fourth quarter collapse.

Quotage: Jazzmen Talking Big Al Jefferson**Randy Foye: He caught fire in OT, and we just had to keep feeding him…Nobody in the league can guard Big Al one-on-one. He has tremendous footwork.**Derrick Favors: Got a clutch gene in him. You know, games get close, you know, we get it to him. He’s got a clutch gene. That’s all there is to it…Just one of those things. Either have it or you don’t. He got it.**DeMarre Carroll: Big Al, he probably one of the most dominant centers in the game right now. You know, he’s, a lot of underrated. A lot of people don’t give him the credit he deserve, but the guy can score the ball. You know, we just ride him. When it get towards the end of the game, we just ride on his back.

Quote of the Night**Gordon Hayward, asked whether he’s ok to get home: I am. My mother’s here, so she’ll take me home.

9.5 seconds left in regulation. Game tied. Jazz’s last timeout. Enes Kanter is on the outskirts of the huddle, adorably drawing up his own play. Or maybe boobies. Yeah, probably boobies.

Other Quotage**Tyrone Corbin: [Just another typical finish at home.] It’s another win.**Corbin on the win: We made some mistakes. We gotta get better there. But the fight that these guys have shown all year, and continue to show, is very encouraging…The guys just continued to fight, man, and we gotta get better in a lot of areas, but to fight back and to take the lead and then to be able to finish the game in overtime the way we did tonight after last night’s loss in LA, it showed a lot of character.**Corbin on Hayward: The guys encouraging him. The guys are rallying around him. You make a mistake…it’s not just his fault. It’s our fault. So the more he’s in the moment, the more he’ll be able to get comfortable in it and the less chance of making mistakes down the road.

**Paul Millsap on David West: I looked up to David West for a long time, and he’s one of the guys that I patterned my game after a little bit. Undersized power forward, you know, he works hard.**Big Al on scoring in overtime: It wouldn’t have mattered to me if Earl [Watson] hit the biggest shots. We got that win. You know, that’s what it’s all about, getting that win after last night loss.**Big Al on Earl: High energy. Made the right plays. You know, played hard on defense. You know, brought that energy on defense. Earl a vet, man. He’s been doing this a long time. You know, he just brought that leadership.**DeMarre Carroll: I really didn’t play a lot yesterday, so I knew my team was gonna need me today, and I just tried to come and produce.**Carroll on his bigger offensive role: Coach Corbin came to me and just told me, you know, “You shoot it real well in practice. You know, you get shots up day and night, you know, shoot it when you get it.” So that’s what he just told me, to catch and shoot, and that’s what I try to do when I get out there. (1280, Utah Jazz)

Random Stuff, etc.** Jerry Sloan in the house!

** What was Sidney Lowe thinking with that tie-pocket square combo?

Unintentional Dirty Quote Machines of the Night (UDQM)** Boler during yesterday’s pre-game: AK’s been known to stuff the box. (H/T @da_breezman)** Boler to Favors in yesterday’s post-game: Derrick, take me on the floor.** Booner: Always can be a threat if you can use both hands.** Boler to Booner: I don’t know how much touch you had around the rim.** Boler: Big Al gets a hand as he comes out.** Booner: I’m one of those guys that loved switching all over the floor.** Foye, post-game: When you up, you in control. So they’re erratic, and they’re trying to do things to get you off. And I think that’s one of the things that, you know, we have to learn from. And it just take time, and practice.

Remember when Popovich told the Spurs that whoever missed the next free throw would buy him a new car? Maybe our coaches should say that: if we are outrebounded, whoever has the fewest rebounds on the team buys the coaching staff new suits.